hydration options

 Thanks. Reviews all around seem to be pretty positive, and less than $60 seems pretty reasonable. Anyone want to chime in with anything else I should consider before I go with this?

When is the race?  20 oz. is a little low, but manageable if the weather is cool and you "top off" yourself and your bottle before the stretch.  Alternatively, consider a fuel-belt with 4-6 smaller bottles plus your hand-held. 

I've got a single-bottle belt that doesn't bother me too much, but I only occasionally have to stretch it to 9-10 miles. 

It's October 8... part of a 3-day stage race: 50k, 50mi, 13.1mi. It is in the hills of West Virginia, and I think it's unlikely that it'll be warmer than 70 in the heat of the day. I think I could probably get away with the handheld, but it might be pushing it, and I wouldn't be able carry much fuel. And long training runs would be easier and more fun just going out with a couple liters of water instead of having to place bottles before hand or do loops that pass by the house or car. Iff I can find a system/figure out how to run with water without messing up my stride.

If it were me, I'd likely go with two 20 oz handhelds.  I use this Amphipod:

http://www.amphipod.com/products/hydration/bottles-handhelds/handhelds/hydraform-handheld-pocket

and often run with one in each hand.  This was all I used for hydration for Cascade Crest 100 this past weekend, and it worked fine.  I wore my Nathan HPL 020 just for extra storage (clothes, food).  I personally tend to find that I drink a bit more when carrying bottles, and I like being able to conveniently have two different drinks easily accessible (water in one, sports drink in the other, if I feel like it).

I use the Nathan HPL 020 when I need to carry more fluid than that.  Frankly, though, I eventually get a little tired of sucking on the tube, and sometimes find I don't drink as much or as often from the hydration pack as I do from handhelds.  Come to think of it, I can't recall the last time I used my Nathan for a race.  Great for training when I need to go hours between opportunities to refill (in that case, I use BOTH the pack, and one or two handhelds).  But for racing, it's been handhelds for me lately.  But, Nathan is the most comfortable running hydration pack I've used, so if it's a pack you want, it's a good choice.

If there's one thing I'd like to change about my Nathan it's that I'd like more storage in the front (space for more food, S-caps, plus a camera).  I can't seem to fit as much as I'd like in the front pockets of the HPL 020.  I know there are other options out there that offer that, and I expect I'll be using something new by next year.